text: GLENDALE, Ariz. – Miguel Rojas has a lot to think about.The 24-year-old infielder knows that he needs to hit better to become a major-league player. Last year at Double-A Chattanooga, his first season in the Dodgers' organization, Rojas batted .233. That's enough to leave anyone, even the best defensive second baseman in camp, buried on a long list of non-roster invitees.Yet when Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti sees Rojas in the field, he sees potential. All winter he's mentioned the native Venezeulan as a legitimate candidate for a major-league job this season."He already threw my name on the chance to play second base," Rojas said. "I'm going to go for that job because I think I can do it." Lino Connell, a coach in the Phillies' organization, was Rojas' hitting coach in Venezuela two years ago. Connell suggested that Rojas was swinging at too many pitches early in the count and needed to be more patient.Ever since, Rojas said, "I can't be afraid to hit with two strikes. That's kind of my plan."Omar Vizquel, one of Venezuela's most gifted baseball players ever, recently made some suggestions of his own. The Detroit Tigers' new first-base coach met Rojas before a Venezuelan Winter League game in Caracas, where Rojas was playing and Vizquel was coaching."We talked about his goals for the offensive part of the game," Rojas said. "He was such a good defensive guy, but he had to work on something to get better and be a big-league shortstop. The biggest advice he gave me is 'you've got to know who you are as a hitter and how you're going to help your team offensively.' "For a player who's never been in a major-league camp before this year, that's already a lot to think about. There's more.Earlier this month, Rojas got married in his native country. Fortunately for him, his wife did all the planning. Rojas reported to camp early, took 10 days off to tie the knot, then came back. It's been business as usual, almost.Rojas said that his wife, Mariana, is staying at their home in Caracas just five minutes from the Venezuelan capital. Hundreds of anti-government protesters took to the streets this week to protest the country's troubled economy. Some have resorted to violence and three died during the protests, according to multiple reports.Rojas said his wife had planned to fly to the United States soon, then go back to Caracas as needed during the year to help run her family's business. A political uprising might make that difficult.Rojas admits that's a point of concern, but his focus is here."I was working so hard to be here and I'm going to keep doing it," Rojas said.Versatility a keyDodgers manager Don Mattingly outlined a few possibilities for Cactus League position assignments."All the guys we're looking at at second (base), or looking at as an extra, are kind of all over" the field, Mattingly said.That includes Dee Gordon (second base, shortstop, center field), plus non-roster invitees Chone Figgins (second base, third base, shortstop, center field) and Justin Turner (shortstop, second base, first base).Unlike injured center fielder Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford, who's primarily a left fielder, Mattingly said that Andre Ethier and Scott Van Slyke are candidates to play all three outfield positions at some point. Yasiel Puig will get some reps in center field too, Mattingly said.Juan Uribe won't be taking reps at first base anytime soon. He found himself battling for a job in spring training of last year, when Luis Cruz was the Opening Day third baseman. In the past year, Mattingly said, "I think Juan has really solidified himself." Uribe re-signed for two years and $15 million in December.The manager mentioned Van Slyke and Turner as the candidates to back up first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.AlsoOnelki Garcia threw hard from flat ground Saturday morning. The left-hander is trying to get back on a mound following arthroscopic surgery on his elbow in November. … The Dodgers' other pitchers were given a previously scheduled day off. There seems to be a universal recognition of Rojas' defensive talent, and a swell of advice to bring his bat up to speed — literally. Hitting coach Mark McGwire and assistant hitting coach John Valentin have taken turns watching Rojas in the Camelback Ranch batting cages, making suggestions along the way."(McGwire) told me try to stay in the middle of the field," Rojas said, "because you'll have the chance to open up the field."In batting practice Saturday, the skinny dynamo (6-foot, 150 pounds) was spraying line drives around the outfield. He didn't show much power, which is not surprising given his frame.A right-handed hitter, Rojas said he's trying to drive more balls to center and left. His natural tendency is to hit the ball to right. Because of this, Rojas said he was often exploited by pitchers who jammed him inside."I'm going to stop looking for where the pitch is at. I'm going to worry about where my head is going," he said. "If it's going in a straight line and the pitch is outside, I'm going to hit the ball that way; if it's inside I'm going to hit the ball to the left side." 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text:
Is it biologically possible to build a "perfect" virtual reality, in which the person in that world cannot distinguish it from the real world? (e.g. as in the movie The Matrix)
From my knowledge (which is very limited), we perceive everything as a result of electrical activity within nerves. If we were able to encode/decode the patterns of the electrical activity and understand how the brain communicates with and intercepts all the nerves between the brain and the other parts of the body, would this mean that a perfect virtual reality is possible?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
About The Club
Nestled on secluded South Hole Sound, The Club at Little Cayman is the most prestigious accommodation available on Little Cayman Island. The Club is an elegant collection of eight luxury condominiums. Each unit offers one, two and three bedroom opulence unequaled on the island, and sets a new standard in luxury living.


text:
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Guests: Paul Ryan, Michelle Bernard, Joe Conason, Bart Stupak, Wayne
Slater, Alex Burns.
HOST: Easter egg or goose egg?
Let's play HARDBALL.
Good evening. I'm Chris Matthews in Washington. Leading off tonight:
Do or die. This is it. President Obama is making his last best attempt to
reach out to Republicans and win the war over health care. That means
winning the argument with those in the middle. He'll never win Republican
votes at this point. The best he can do is turn some Democratic noes into
yesses and to keep some yesses from becoming noes. Tonight, we've got one
congressman who could help, Bart Stupak of Michigan.
Plus: Incumbents beware. The Rick Perry wipeout of Kay Bailey
Hutchison in Texas yesterday was good news for the tea party types and bad
news for incumbents everywhere, at least in the primaries. But this
November, will voters throw out the bums or just go after the Democrats?
And also, Republican congressman Paul Ryan wants to get rid of Social
Security and Medicare as we know it. What's his plan to change them, and
what would that be like? That's my question for him tonight.
And the returns are in from last night's Republican comedy primary,
Sarah Palin on Leno versus Mitt Romney on Letterman. Who won? We'll check
the results in the "Sideshow."
And finally, in my, "Let me finish" commentary, I'll tell you why I
think the president's right to push for health care reform now.
Let's start with President Obama's final push on health care reform
and the man who could make it happen in the House, U.S. Congressman Bart
Stupak of Michigan. Sir, let's watch the president. Here he was today,
making what looks to be his final push for health care. Let's listen.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Everything there is to
say about health care has been said and just about everybody has said it.
I therefore ask leaders in both houses of Congress to finish their work and
schedule a vote in the next few weeks. From now until then, I will do
everything in my power to make the case for reform. And I...
MATTHEWS: Congressman Stupak, you're one of the—in fact, you are
the leader on the issue of being pro-life, as a Democrat, fighting to keep
in a restriction, or a ban, rather, on the use of federal money, the Hyde
amendment, to keep it in effect in regard to this legislation. How's that
fight going now? Is there any way to reconcile the concerns of other
Democrats with the concerns of the pro-lifers?
REP. BART STUPAK (D), MICHIGAN: Sure, Chris. I think we can
reconcile those concerns. I, like the president, would like to see health
care passed, affordable health care for all Americans. I voted for it. I
want to see it again. The president has stated publicly and addressed the
nation on September 9th that there'd be no federal funding for abortion, so
I'm willing to work with the president to see that his words ring true.
MATTHEWS: Well, let's take a look at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at
Blair House last week. Let's listen. See if you agree.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Leader Boehner, the
law of the land is there is no public funding of abortion, and there is no
public funding of abortion in these bills. And I don't want our listeners
or viewers to get the wrong impression from what you said.
MATTHEWS: Is the Speaker correct?
STUPAK: No.
MATTHEWS: Explain.
STUPAK: The Speaker is incorrect. In the Senate bill—in the
Senate bill, and that's what they're telling us the vehicle we're using.
In the Senate bill, it says you must offer insurance policies that will be
paid for by the federal government that covers abortion. You must do so.
Also in that same language, if you come in the Senate version, in the OPM,
Office of Personnel Management, policies they'll be putting forth, you must
pay—every enrollee must pay one dollar per month into a fund to help
fund abortions.
It's very clear. I direct the Speaker's attention to pages 33 to page
44 of the Senate bill as written in the Senate and passed on Christmas Eve.
MATTHEWS: So according to your reading of the bill that's passed the
Senate, which the House is going to have to vote on in the next couple
weeks, insurance covers abortion services.
STUPAK: That's what it insures. And we will not vote for that type
of legislation. The majority of the House has spoken. We will not support
legislation that has public funding for abortion.
You know, Chris, the president said, OK, here's his four or five
proposals he's doing today. So what we're voting on can't really be the
Senate bill there. It has to be a conglomeration...
MATTHEWS: Right.
STUPAK: ... or compromise. So look, we're willing to work with him.
Let's keep current law, which says no public funding for abortion. There
are at least eight programs, everything from Department of Defense,
children's health initiative, Medicare, Medicaid, you name it, it says no
public funding for abortion. Let's keep the current law. And I'm
STUPAK: ... to work with the president and the Speaker to do that.
MATTHEWS: Here's what I don't understand, what I want to understand,
because I want this reconciled, like a lot of people do. It seems to me
that Hyde is pretty clear, the Hyde amendment that's been carried for years
now in the House on every spending bill. Why can't you attach it to
another bill, to any or all of the upcoming appropriations bills this year,
or a continuing resolution, and include in the language on something that
would get a majority because the Republicans would all vote for it in that
case, where you'd get 218, the required number of majority votes, on any
measure later this year that said—and get Nancy Pelosi to approve that,
guaranteed promise that there'll be—there will be a rider attached to
every spending bill henceforth that says the Hyde amendment's in effect on
all federal legislation. Could you do that?
STUPAK: As long as it (INAUDIBLE) dealt with under this act, this
health care—health care proposal act. You're right, Hyde applies only
to appropriation bills. This will be a new act that will be creating
health care for Americans. It has to be in this act. This act is not
necessarily an appropriation bill.
MATTHEWS: Right.
STUPAK: It's an enacting legislation. As long as they put the
language in it...
MATTHEWS: But can you pass it—can you pass it as part of another
bill, so that you could get Republicans? The problem, you know, is, Mr.
Stupak—you know, Congressman, the problem here is the math. To get Hyde
passed, you need a lot of Republican votes to get it, to pass it, if you
had an up-or-down vote on Hyde at any moment on any appropriations bill.
STUPAK: Right.
MATTHEWS: This time, no Republicans are going to vote for it. None
are going to vote for this health care bill. So how can you get Hyde to
pass as a rider, as a separate vote in this case unless you jam it down the
throats of the pro-choicers?
STUPAK: Right. It would have be a separate bill. It would have to
be tie-barred (ph) to the final health care bill. You could do it that
way, Chris. You could tie bar it to the final health care bill. You could
do it that way.
MATTHEWS: Yes. What does that mean in English?
STUPAK: I mean, you're right...
MATTHEWS: What does that mean?
STUPAK: One bill doesn't pass without the other. They go jointly
together. They walk down the aisle together and have that vote...
STUPAK: Two separate votes, but they're tied together.
MATTHEWS: Have you—would Republicans vote for that, or would they
say that would be helping health care pass?
STUPAK: Good question. But the principle for myself and the
Republicans, I think, is greater and they would vote for it.
MATTHEWS: OK. Well, let me ask you this. Has the Speaker responded
to that proposal, tie barring these?
STUPAK: No, they have not.
MATTHEWS: Have you offered it?
STUPAK: Yes. I've talked to people—yes. We have had discussions
and here's one way we could do it. Yes.
MATTHEWS: OK. Well, thank you. Let me ask you this about Eric
Cantor. He is definitely trying to fish in troubled waters here. He's the
Republican whip. He's the ramrod on that side of the aisle. He's loving
the fact you're in dispute. And I understand this is an issue of
conscience. I completely understand, let me tell you. Here he is,
singling out you and a list of 12 other members, including that Republican
from Louisiana, from New Orleans, who's voted—he's in Jefferson's
district. It's a Democratic district. He's now switching the other way.
Is this an accurate list of people that will vote against the Senate
version if it comes up because it doesn't have the restriction on abortion?
STUPAK: I haven't seen the list, Chris, but it's accurate to say
there are at least 12 of us who voted for health care who have indicated to
the leadership and others that unless you fix this abortion language, we
can't vote for a final version of the bill.
MATTHEWS: What do you think the Speaker meant when she made that
statement, that the law of the land is there's no public funding of
abortion in these bills? What does she mean? I mean, try and understand
her. What does she mean? Does she mean the government doesn't buy and pay
doctors for abortion, that it simply pays for insurance premiums that will
then cover abortion? What jesuitical language are you accusing her of
here, if that's what you're saying.
STUPAK: Well, if she's talking about the Senate language, again, go
to the pages I cited, page—I believe it's 38 to 44. If you go look at
it, it says every enrollee in the OPM, Office of Personnel Management—
every enrollee in one of those plans must play one dollar per month for
reproductive rights, which include abortion. So not only are you talking
about abortion coverage in insurance policies, but now you're asking
everyone who enrolls in these plans to pay at least $1 per month into a
fund to help pay for abortion. So you're making the insurance companies...
STUPAK: ... provide it, plus, you're making people pay for it. She's
MATTHEWS: Do you believe the Democratic Party, the majority of the
party you're in, is willing to go down to defeat on the major legislative
issue of this presidency because of its pro-choice position?
STUPAK: No. No, because...
MATTHEWS: You don't think they're willing to go down to defeat.
STUPAK: No, because if you look at the pro-choice letter that Diana
Degette and others claim to have 40-some signatures on—if you read that
letter very carefully, it says, We must maintain current law. Current law.
That's all the Stupak amendment does, maintain current law. Just take my
name off it. Call the Hyde amendment. Just maintain current law...
MATTHEWS: I know what the law says.
STUPAK: Put it in the health care act, and we're OK.
MATTHEWS: I don't understand why they don't—let me ask you this.
Are you willing to bring down the House on the issue of life?
STUPAK: Well, look, we're going to do what we have to do. We're not
compromising on this issue. We've gone as far as we can. They know that.
We're not—I want to see health care as much as the president and the
Speaker, but this is a principle and belief that the only bill...
STUPAK: ... the only amendment ever had a vote was this one. It's
bipartisan. We want to see it. We want it passed.
STUPAK: We want to see health care.
MATTHEWS: Thank you. This is a very hot issue, Congressman. I much
appreciate you coming on to start HARDBALL tonight.
STUPAK: Thanks.
MATTHEWS: This couldn't be—this is the one. This is the issue, I
think, that could make or break health care reform. Thank you very much,
Bart Stupak of Michigan, a Democrat.
Coming up: Rick Perry wins the Republican nomination down in Texas
over Kay Bailey Hutchison. He smashes her! He gets a majority vote. No
run-off down there. He campaigned against Washington. He's the guy that
talks secession like a wild man down there. So is his victory a wake-up
call to all incumbents? If you can get elected by talking secession from
Washington, imagine you're just running against it. Or are the only people
really vulnerable are the moderate Republicans in the primaries and
Democrats in November?
You're watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
GOV. RICK PERRY ®, TEXAS: There were a string of victories that
have come along here lately. There was a victory in New Jersey. There was
a victory in Virginia. There was a victory in Massachusetts.
PERRY: And now there has been a victory in Texas. And I think the
message is pretty clear. Conservativism has never been stronger than it is
MATTHEWS: Wow. Welcome back to HARDBALL. That was Texas governor
Rick Perry talking about his primary victory, as if it were a general
election victory against Democrats, after his victory over fellow
Republican, believe it or not, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, who he just
treated like a Democrat in that primary up there—down there in Texas.
What does he mean, and what does his win mean to the country? What's it
say about the political mood nationally?
Wayne Slater is senior political writer for "The Dallas Morning News"
and—well, Alex Burns is deputy political editor for "Politico."
I want you both to watch something from Rick Perry, more of Rick
Perry's impassioned victory speech, just to set the mood tonight. Let's
listen, then I'm going to give you a little—little treat here. Here's,
first of all, Governor Perry.
PERRY: We're taking our country back...
PERRY: ... one vote at a time, one election at a time. This election
was about hard-working Texans sending a simple, compelling message to
Washington. Quit spending all the money!
MATTHEWS: Well, that was the wrong clip. Anyway, does that remind
you of anything? Here's what it reminded me of—actually, it does remind
me of (INAUDIBLE) wrong clip in there, but let's look at Pat Buchanan
PAT BUCHANAN ®, FMR. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And as those boys took
back the streets of Los Angeles block by block, my friends, we must take
back our cities and take back our culture and take back our country! God
bless you and God bless America!
MATTHEWS: Well, Perry made the same point elsewhere in the speech
about taking the country back block by block. Let's look at the trouble
spots in the country. And I want to see, Wayne and Alex, if you think
these people are going to face the same results.
We've got open seats in the country in Delaware, where Joe Biden gave
up that seat, in Illinois, where Barack Obama gave up his seat, in North
Dakota, where Byron Dorgan gave up his seat, in Indiana, where Evan Bayh's
giving up his seat. And then you got four incumbent Democrats in trouble,
Blanche Lincoln in big trouble, being challenged in the primary down there
in Arkansas. You got Harry Reid. You got—in Nevada. You got the
problem in Nebraska. You've got—no, you've got Harry Reid in Nevada.
You've got Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania and Michael Bennet in Colorado.
So you got serious problems—out in California, even Barbara Boxer is
much closer to her rival than ever before.
Is this thing that's going on down there in Texas going to go on
elsewhere, Wayne?
WAYNE SLATER, "DALLAS MORNING NEWS": Absolutely, it is. And you
know, there are a couple of messages that came out of Texas last night.
One is, the message is, It's Washington, stupid. And any politician
running for office, primary or general election, Democrat or Republican,
doesn't recognize that now is in for a rude awakening.
The other one is really more subtle, and it's, Whoever you are, define
your opponent before your opponent defines you. The person who can define
your opponent better than you can define—who defines yourself before
you're defined by your opponent is a winner. I think about Rob Portman in
Ohio. This is a guy—if I were he, I would say, I've never been east of
Marietta, Ohio. This is...
MATTHEWS: Right.
SLATER: I mean, even though he was Bush's trade representative, and
so forth. So I think it's a message that will resound across the country.
MATTHEWS: You know, I'm beginning to think, Alex, if Jimmy Carter was
elected be saying, I'm not a lawyer. I've really never been to Washington.
And that worked back then in '76 -- are we going full circle now? If you
can claim that you are a virgin politically, that you have no knowledge of
any other politician, you've never been to a meeting, never held an office,
you're clean as a whistle, you're perfect for the voters this year.
ALEX BURNS, POLITICO.COM: Well, sure. It certainly helps,
particularly if you—if—if you're entirely severed from Washington.
Now, Governor Perry, the longest-serving governor in the state's history—
this is not a political outsider. But he managed to make even the federal
bail-out an issue in this gubernatorial primary. That's not a Texas-
specific issue. But by painting Kay Bailey Hutchison as this person who is
out of touch with his state's values, who had gone to Washington, supported
these presidents who people were disenchanted with, he managed to just sort
of get to a basic trust issue of whether folks want her in charge of their
MATTHEWS: I'm looking now right now—let me go back—Wayne,
you've got incumbent Democrats in trouble nationally. Let's go to the
incumbent Democrats. You mentioned some Republicans who have to prove
their innocence, basically, of Washington. You've got Harry Reid coming
out in Nevada. Any one of his three opponents can beat him right now.
Arlen Specter, by the way, I just found out last night—or actually,
earlier today—has already for the first time pulled ahead of his
opponent, but I'm sure Pat Toomey's going to give him a hell of a fight.
Then you've got Michael Bennett, the appointed senator out in Colorado.
It just seems to me everybody is vulnerable now to anybody who can
come along and say, it wasn't me that done it. I remember Ronald Reagan
used to say, I will admit I'm irresponsible when they admit they are
responsible, which I thought was a great line, actually.
SLATER: Yes, but I think it is going to be real hard for Blanche
Lincoln to say, I don't know anything about Washington, DC. Even for
Democrats like Blanche Lincoln or Harry Reid—my, gosh, he is Washington,
DC—for Democrats to recognize the sensitivity of voters at home, that
they are anxious about the economy, that the Washington—concern over
Washington spending is not a trumped up issue by Republicans alone. There
is something real about that.
To try to deal with that, even if you are a Democrat, is important.
It's not going to be a good year for Democrats. I think we know that.
This anti-Washington animus is going to contribute to that.
MATTHEWS: Let's run through the calendar right now. Alex, you
first. We've got this fight, Grayson and Rand Paul. Rand Paul is red hot.
His father is Ron Paul. He looks like he can knock—he can really do the
job there out in Kentucky, right? That is the first big shot. That's
coming up in May.
BURNS: It certainly does look like Rand Paul has a real shot there.
Trey Grayson is sort of running as the hand picked candidate of Mitch
McConnell. A couple of years ago, that might have been a huge asset in
Kentucky, to have the blessing of the machine like that. This year, not so
Trey Grayson has sort of attacked Rand Paul, saying, look, this guy
is not even from Kentucky. He's not one of us. He's sort of an outsider.
Rand Paul is sort of saying, you're darn right I'm an outsider.
MATTHEWS: Even an outsider of the state is better than being—as
long as you're outside Washington. Let me go to the Florida race. I
watched this one turn very fast down south, Wayne. Pat Buchanan loves this
guy, Marco Rubio, Cuban American. I guess he's the former speaker down
there, and it's a rotating speakership down there. Charlie Crist looked
unbeatable a year ago, just like Kay Bailey Hutchison looked like she was a
formidable candidate, with great reviews, great numbers. Numbers don't
seem to mean anything once that Tea Party crowd go after you.
SLATER: More than any other race, I think Florida is the one that
mirrors what happened in Texas. You're right, Charlie Crist—I mean, who
would have thought he would be in trouble. He's in horrible trouble.
Essentially, Marco Rubio emerges, interesting, exciting, gets the Tea Party
crowd behind him, frames Crist, talks about Crist as essentially some
liberal, political liberal who has no business being in the race.
It is amazing to see the sitting governor like Charlie Crist behind
the eight ball like this, but it is part of this dynamic. Same thing we
saw in Texas. And if I were Crist, I would study this Texas primary, say,
what the heck can I do about this?
MATTHEWS: He might ask for Florida to secede from the union, too.
By the way, guys, I don't think you can pull—let me try Alex on this. I
don't think you can pull the secession number above the Mason/Dixon line.
I think that has a peculiar geographic appeal. I don't think Ohio can
secede from the Union. These guys fought for the Union. I don't think it
is really credible. Alex, your thoughts on that? Can you promise to be
that anti-Washington up north?
BURNS: You mentioned the Delaware Senate race as a place where
Republicans might have some momentum going forward. It is kind of hard to
imagine Mike Castle, a veteran congressman, former governor of that state
sort of coming—charging out of the gate, saying we are done with this
whole United States thing.
But the fact of the matter is there is still this feeling that
Washington is out of touch, even in places like that. As you mentioned, we
saw that in Massachusetts.
MATTHEWS: Lets' take a state that is neither north nor south. It's
Arizona. It's, of course, the big enchilada in terms of national media.
This August 24th—John McCain has to trudge through the summer out there
-- and it is very hot in Arizona in the August. He's got to get
renominated out there against J.D. Hayworth, the radio shock jock, former
congressman. I noticed that the Tea Party organizations out in Arizona has
decided to stay neutral. What does that mean?
BURNS: I think, Chris, the fact of the matter is that J.D.
Hayworth, as much as he is running as this outsider—he wants to align
himself with the Tea Party movement. He was an appropriator in Washington
himself. You have folks like Dick Armey, who is generally very sympathetic
to primary challengers, saying this guy was an ear-marker back when he was
in Congress. So he doesn't necessarily fit the mold of a perfect candidate
MATTHEWS: This is wild stuff. It's a wild fire out there. Wayne
Slater, I cannot believe Rick Perry, the secessionist, has won such a big
race. I'm sure he's glad to hear me say that, because I don't get him.
Wayne Slater, sir, thank you for picking up on the trends out there. Alex
Burns, I love "Politico."
Up next, a preview of the 2012 race on late night TV. Mitt Romney
on "Letterman" and I think Sarah beat his butt on Leno. The highlights
next in the sideshow. You're watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Back to HARDBALL. Now for the Sideshow. First, there is
no business like show business. Sarah Palin did a stand-up routine on Jay
Leno's "Tonight Show." Here's Sarah.
SARAH PALIN, FORMER GOVERNOR OF ALASKA: I watched the winter
Olympics, skiing, fighting on the ice, skating, bobsledding. In Alaska,
that is our morning commute.
And how about that amazing closing ceremony. It was beautiful. The
minute I saw the giant moose, I remembered I hadn't cooked anything for the
kids' dinner.
But, Jay, thank you so much for inviting me. I saw where it has
been a few weeks of unfair non-stop criticism, people who don't know the
real story. I say, Jay, welcome to my world.
JAY LENO, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": All right, Sarah Palin. Thank you,
MATTHEWS: Over on CBS, all Dave and Mitt Romney could talk about
was that guest, Sarah Palin, over on Leno. Here they are.
DAVID LETTERMAN, "THE LATE SHOW": It sounds to me like you are
going to run for president again in 2012?
MITT ROMNEY, FORMER GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS: No plans for that at
this point. I'll keep the door open.
LETTERMAN: Of course he is running.
ROMNEY: Are you available, David.
LETTERMAN: I can tell by the cologne. I—what about that Sarah
Palin. She's not ready to be president, is she?
ROMNEY: She's terrific. She really is. She is terrific. She has
energy, passion. By the way, be careful what you say about her, by the
LETTERMAN: I've had my—I've had mine.
MATTHEWS: She has a rifle, you know.
LETTERMAN: Got it.
MATTHEWS: I'm not sure Romney knew what those two had been through,
Dave and Sarah. Anyway, did you hear Romney sing out the praises of Sarah
Palin? That is the name of the game in the Republican party these days.
Whatever they say about her in private, which is somewhat different, they
are gushing over her in public.
Why? Because she may not run, and she would have all the power in
the world to either help or hurt any one of the guys who do run. Watch the
way they treat her lately.
Next, a call to arms; Funny or Die is out there with a new video
talking up financial regulatory reform. This is a riot. The premise,
ghosts of presidents past invade Barack Obama's dreams. We start off with
George W and Bill Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You two are the ones who stripped out all the
regulations. Why would I want advice from you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dude, it was the '90s. People did all kinds of
crazy things.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Besides, when I put the Iraq War on my credit
card, I never dreamed I would pay 28 percent interest rates. It is
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. If you listened to me, you would have
raised taxes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then you would have one term.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, and that second term of yours was a real
victory lapper. Wasn't it, Dubbers?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you are saying is I should clean up this
mess that you all created, take on the banks and all their trillions of
dollars. How is this helpful?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a bitch. It's a bitch. But as George
Washington once said to John Adams, tag, you are it.
MATTHEWS: That is one talented group of guys. Anyway, too true.
Speaking of presidents past, Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry of
North Carolina has announced new legislation that would have the Treasury
Department replace Ulysses S. Grant's face on the 50 dollar bill. Who
would take his place? Ronald Reagan.
I get it. He would take away the honor from the general who saved
the Union. Hmm, that's a smart move. Anyway, Congressman McHenry has got
13 co-sponsors. Reagan faithful want to put Reagan's face on the 50 dollar
note. No more to be said tonight. Tonight's big number. I happen to like
Up next, lots of politicians talk about cutting spending, balancing
the budget and reigning in the federal deficit. When we return, one US
Congressman who is really intent on doing it, Republican Paul Ryan of
Wisconsin. I think he is the president's favorite Republican, sort of. He
has a specific plan to do it, dramatic steps, some say drastic, to change
Social Security, to change Medicare, and really reign in these entitlement
programs, which already costs more money than the government brings in in
taxes. Congressman Ryan next. You're watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. President Obama has made a
point lately of trying to find agreement, at least in principle, with some
Republicans,even when his party line is disagreeable to them. Back in
January, the president singled out Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan at the
Republicans' retreat up in Baltimore. Let's listen to what the president
said then.
OBAMA: I think Paul, for example, head of the Budget Committee, has
looked at the budget and has made a serious proposal. I've read it. I can
tell you what's in it. And there's some ideas in there that I would agree
with, but there's some ideas that we should have a healthy debate about,
because I don't agree with.
MATTHEWS: Last week, Congressman Ryan agreed to disagree at that
Blair House health care meeting with the president. Let's listen to the
congressman this time.
REP. PAUL RYAN ®, WISCONSIN: When you take a look at this, it is
really deeper than the deficits or the budget gimmicks or the actuarial
analysis. There really is a difference between us. We've been talking
about how much we agree on different issues. But there really is a
difference between us. It is basically this: we don't think the government
should be in control of all of this.
MATTHEWS: Was Congressman Ryan right? Is that the most important
difference of all? Paul Ryan joins us now. He is a top Republican,
ranking member, not chairman of the committee, as the president designated
him a moment ago, on the Budget Committee.
Thank you so much. I worked on the Budget Committee for a long time
in the Senate. I know the problems. I went looking at the numbers
yesterday. It is not just that we have a deficit of 1.6 trillion dollars.
It is that the numbers are completely out of whack. We have 3.8 in
spending, and 2.1 in receipts. It is almost two to one now, the government
spending more money than it is bringing in. If you add up all the taxes,
payroll, income, everything, it doesn't touch even, it seems, the cost of
the entitlements. We are completely out of whack now. Does it seem odd
now that we have these conversations on television, when they don't bare
relationship to that problem?
RYAN: Yeah, it does. And there is so much political demagoguery.
Both parties do this, mind you. I'm not saying, we're all good and they're
bad. But the problem is, with all this demagoguery, no one wants to tackle
this problem because they feel that they will lose their next campaign.
I'm sick of all of that. You look at the fact our budget is on an
unsustainable trajectory. That is not the fault of just Democrats or the
fault of Republicans. Both parties are at fault for this. Both parties
have to come together and fix this mess, because our debt is going to
catastrophic levels. We will have a debt crisis in this country.
Just so you know, the main programs of our government, Medicare,
Medicaid and Social Security, are all going bankrupt. They are growing
themselves into extinction. so you have to reform these programs for
future generations if you are going to save these programs. The sooner we
talk about how to do that, the better off we will be.
MATTHEWS: Getting Erskine Bowles, the guy who got defeated for the
Senate a couple times, who was a great chief of staff for Clinton—he
came in and cleaned things up, to a large extent, at the White House. He
did a good job. I think he's great. I think Alan Simpson is first rate.
They are both very courageous guys. But they don't have to—they're the
head of this new Deficit Commission. The president has designated them.
But they don't have constituency at home to worry about. They can
come up and draw out all kinds of numbers for higher taxes, later
retirement. They can do all kinds of wonderful things. They can have
personal accounts. They can everything that you might like. But they
don't have to face the voters. The people you work with do.
Is there any way you could ever, as long as you serve in Congress,
get somebody reduce the benefits of Social Security, change the formula,
change the retirement age, pay for it?
RYAN: I do.
MATTHEWS: When are people going to start doing this sort of thing
when they want to run for reelection?
RYAN: Chris, I introduced my bill that does these things that you
just more or less mentioned in 2008. I did this during the Bush
administration. I ran on this plan for reelection last year, and I won
with 64 percent in a district that went for Dukakis, Clinton, Gore and
MATTHEWS: What kind of district do you have? Let's talk politics.
MATTHEWS: You have a very, very high educated—it's not a
National Public Radio audience. It's something like that, though, isn't
RYAN: Well, it's a district that listens to people when they tell
them the truth, that listens to people. A lot of people may not agree with
how I propose to fix this problem, but their minds are open to fixing the
problem. So I spend a lot of time talking to the people I represent about
this fiscal mess that's coming down the pike. And I put together a plan,
that the CBO certified, makes Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security
totally solvent, pays off our national debt, and averts the debt crisis.
You can't make this all up by taxing. The spending is the real
source of the problem. I think the president—he and I have some really
had good conversations about this. I hope those continue. But we are
nowhere near the political landscape we need to be to really tackle this
MATTHEWS: I've been through this. I'm older than you. I've been
through this, watching this, and being a staffer. I watched your party.
Ronald Reagan in '86, during his second term, talked about putting caps on
some of these colas and things like that to reduce the automatic growth in
entitlements like Social Security. He lost. Paul Hawkins got defeated,
blown away. Jeremiah Den (ph) got blown away in Alabama. All the
conservatives got blown away the minute they put—it is called the third
rail for a reason.
RYAN: Right.
MATTHEWS: If somebody signs on your to your legitimate proposals
for balancing the budget at some point in the future, they will lose
elections because the voters do want something for nothing, don't they?
You say they don't.
RYAN: No.
MATTHEWS: You say they don't want something for nothing. I think
they do.
RYAN: We have had this problem. If it was not what you said, then
we would have fixed this already by now. What I propose—and if we act
soon—you can say to anybody who is in or near retirement, if you are 55
or over, you are not going to change your benefits. If you're under the
age of 55, these programs are going bankrupt anyway. They're not going to
be there for you as they're designed today. So let's reform them, make
them more sustainable, so they work.
So what I basically say is we want a sturdy and sustainable safety
net in America, for people who are low income, people who are sick. Let's
have that. But then let's have a system on top of it that is sustainable
for future generations. If you act now, you can make sure that people in
and near retirement, above 55, have no huge disruptions in their lives.
That's my point, do it now, you won't hurt people in retirement, and
you'll save these programs, make them more sustainable for future
generations. If you keep delaying entitlement reform, then all bets are
off, and people are going to have huge disruptions in their lives.
MATTHEWS: Let me put a liberal hat on for a minute. It seems to me
that we are trying to match, with President Obama, the social democracy of
RYAN: That's right.
MATTHEWS: I think that is a good idea myself. The problem is, on
top of our costs for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and any future
costs, if there are any, that balance out or add to our costs for this new
health care program—we have the biggest military expenditure in the
world. The Swedes don't have to pay for that. The Germans don't have to
pay that.
RYAN: That's right.
MATTHEWS: They don't even like blue helmets over there. The Brits
really don't have to. The French don't have to.
RYAN: We pay for it for them.
MATTHEWS: Everybody in he world we're trying to compete with, in
terms of social programming and safety netting, they don't have the world
class military we have. Every time you watch "Meet the Press," one of
those shows, they have the latest helicopters, the latest fighter planes.
We got all that stuff we are paying for. How can we have all that military
cost and have a self-sustaining social welfare program in this country?
How can we do it with driving people crazy with higher taxes?
RYAN: That's another point. But defense spending is at its
smallest amount as a percentage of GDP as its been in years. Here is your
problem with your social democracy tact, which I'll disagree with you on
whether it's a good thing to have or not. We can't afford it with the
demographics we've got. We're going form 40 million retirees to 80 million
in one generation. Our birthrates are declining, and health care costs are
going up six to eight percent.
So mathematically, this pay as you go, social welfare state, social
democracy agenda is fiscally unsustainable. You literally cannot tax your
way out of this problem. It is a huge debt problem.
You've got Greece going down. You've got the PIGS—Portugal,
Italy, Greece, Spain, huge debt crises. We should not fool ourselves to
think that could not come here.
MATTHEWS: You must have a heck of a constituency out there in
Wisconsin. They must all have PHDs in economics because they do understand
the problem. I think a lot of people get it, but they don't like it. I
don't know anybody who wants their taxes to go up or their benefits to be
cut. That's the nature of the beast.
Anyway, thank you, Congressman Paul Ryan. I see why the president
likes you, or at least in theory.
Up next, Congressman Charlie Rangel steps down as chairman of the
powerful Ways and Means Committee, at least for a while, until the air gets
cleared, if it does get cleared. More on that ahead in the politics fix.
This is HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. Democratic Congressman Charlie
Rangel decided to temporarily step down from his post as chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee today. It was 9:00 am this morning he did it.
REP. CHARLIE RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: In order to avoid my colleagues
having to defend me during their elections, I have this morning sent a
letter to Speaker Pelosi asking her to grant me a leave of absence until
such time as the Ethics Committee completes its work.
MATTHEWS: Republicans are ready to vote to strip Rangel of his
chairmanship in any way they could. The Democratic support of him was
eroding, according to a lot of experts up there. They were—one after
the other, the Democrats said they did support the idea of him stepping
aside after the Ethics Committee had admonished him last week for accepting
corporate sponsored travel to the Caribbean, which is not a big deal,
compared to some of the other stuff that's out there right now. The Ethics
Committee still looking into a number of other allegations. They said
there could be more trouble for the chairman.
Michelle Bernard is an MSNBC political analyst. We're glad to have
her here tonight. Joe Conason, welcome back. He's a political reporter
for the "New York Observer."
Joe, it's great to have you on. I'm going to start with you. The
news up in New York has been blistering now for months. What is it that
has lead, for example, the "New York Times"—I'm always skeptical of
motive. Excuse me for that. I don't think all journalism is objective.
Why they have been pounding this guy. Is it because of what he did or did
he vote wrong on something?
JOE CONASON, "NEW YORK OBSERVER": Well, Chris, I think it was
journalism. I think they found a legitimate story on Congressman Rangel,
which is that he seemed to have done a favor originally for somebody who
was contributing money to a school named in his honor at City College.
That was the original story, ran on the front page of the Times. I think
it was a legitimate story.
It's a story that's not too different similar types of stories that
have come up over the last few years about Trent Lott, for instance, when
he was Majority leader, and Mitch McConnell, the current Senate Majority
Leader, who has actually taken checks from an outfit named after him at the
University of Louisville.
MATTHEWS: So is this vanity behavior? What would you say if you
had to do a morality play? Is it money grabbing or is it greed? Or is it
vanity? Or is it using your office to get more plaudits?
CONASON: It's hubris, Chris. It's a common ailment among what we
call the old bulls down there, people who have been in power a long time.
MATTHEWS: Is it a firing offense, from your perspective as a
CONASON: Look, I think it would be if it were treated fairly. In
other words, if everybody who did this kind of thing that calls into
question their ethics were called on the carpet for it, yes. I can
imagine, however, Congressman Rangel feeling that there's some double
standard here, because Republicans have done the same thing and nobody has
bothered them about it.
MATTHEWS: Yes. Michelle?
MICHELLE BERNARD, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: The whole thing just
makes—he looks like a broken man. The whole thing makes me sad. It's
journalism. It's a valid story. But just to have to watch this play out -
Charlie Rangel is so beloved in New York. The Congressional Black Caucus
had been waiting for this moment for many, many years. But he didn't have
a choice. He had to step aside. The president, the Democratic party—
and he's a member of the Democratic party - have so much at risk. And
Republicans were calling for his head. This is the better way of power.
MATTHEWS: The problem, it seems to me, watching it as a journalist
I've always liked Charlie Rangel. I'll be honest. I feel like recusing
myself from this discussion, because I've known him and really loved the
guy for years. Let me just go this: the problem he faces is the facts
right now. New information, Joe, keeps coming out—let's be brutal here
checking accounts of 500K in each one, had not been disclosed. Now,
Congress has the unique responsibility, unlike an average person filing on
April 15th, tax return, and having to pay regular returns if you get
different kinds of income—they also have to be completely straight in
terms of what they have, their assets. Most of us don't have to do that.
You have to list your assets. He hasn't been doing it accurately.
Your thoughts on that, Joe? Is that just going to pound away like a
Chinese water torture on this guy, to use a metaphor?
CONASON: I think he stepped down and the Speaker encouraged him to
step down, as well as probably other colleagues, as much as I'm sure they
all love Charlie Rangel, because there was nothing good to look forward to
here for him. He had big problems and everybody knew it.
BERNARD: You know, he had big—
MATTHEWS: Should he plan to stick around or go become a professor
at NYU or something?
I'm serious. I think a lot of these guys would be better off just
stepping aside at a certain, before you get into these problems that are
not exactly criminal, but they are problems.
BERNARD: They are problems. And, quite frankly, if anyone finds
out that in doing these investigation, that he's done anything that reaches
to the level of criminal conduct, he's out of there. The problem with
Democrats is what happen if Stark actually comes in and takes his place.
MATTHEWS: We're going to talk about Stark. That's a whole other
story. Pete Stark is a piece of work, which we're all going to be
learning. Thank you, Michelle Bernard. Thank you, Joe. Welcome back,
Joe. It's good to have you on. It's always good to have you on.
When we return, we're going to have some thoughts—I'm going to
have some thoughts about why President Obama is dead right on health care
reform. You're watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Let me finish tonight on a topic that's dominated this
capital city for months now. It won't surprise anyone who watches this
program regularly that I agree with the president on health care. He says
we need reform and I believe he's right. We can argue endlessly about how
to do it, how far to go, and may never reach agreement. The important
thing is to get off the dime.
Look, if you or I get into a car accident, and we're lying out there
on the pavement, we still have hope. We hope and even trust that an
ambulance is coming, and we'll get wheeled into a emergency room where the
doctors and nurses will do their best to save us. The same is true if we
have a heart attack or a stroke.
We have this hope because, with all our cowboy individualism in this
country, we know, when it comes down to it, bad things happen, and no
matter how tough we are, we need a doctor, and need one bad, and we get
But today we use our emergency rooms as clinics for people who can't
afford doctors, who sit for hours in our ERs because our hospitals can't
turn away a person in need.
Look, I'm for national health reform because I believe we need to
grow up as a country. We need to get adults enrolled in an insurance
program. We need to begin sharing the cost of health care among the
healthy and the not so healthy, the young and the not so young.
We need to start acting like Americans, responsible citizens who are
willing to insist on our taking responsibility for our health care to the
full extent of our ability.
We can make changes as we go along. We can add a public option at
some point. The important thing is to grow up and put away the childish
notion that if we're really lucky, we're never going to need a doctor, and
if anything happen, we can take care of ourself.
Well, the president says we need health care reform and the
president is right.
Right now, it's time for "THE ED SHOW" with Ed Schultz.
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text:
People who suggest that I'm over analyzing this, please just post me a Panasonic 20mm f1.7 and I'll just use it. But if I have to pay for it myself (and its not cheap) I'll be doing the analysis thanks all the same ... [post script ... I bought one 4 years later when they were reasonably priced used]
Well obviously the first question for me is what do I want it for?
The answer for me is photographs of people in places where I don't want the complexity of scenery to take over the image.
I just love the look of a normal lens, unlike wide angles lenses you don't get bucket loads of background and unlike telephotos' you don't get that compressed scale where the background is just a blur backdrop snuggled against the subject.
Having grown up on 35mm and then moved into large format, focal control was always a challenge of how to get more in view. Ownership of generic 35-80 zooms with apertures of f5.6 (often stopping down to f8 for clarity) seemed to make me feel my photographs were boring. I happen to read this comment a bit recently too . These zooms are a middle ground with nothing looking interesting some how (well, except for the subject matter) and I found myself graduating back to my two favorite primes a 24mm and a 50mm with my 35mm photography.
By 2000 I had more or less moved over into compact digital and large format. I always wanted a full frame DSLR and despite resistance eventually got a 20D. Beautiful images, but I'd beeen spoiled by lightweight compact cameras like my Coolpix 5000, so big and fat was not in.
However having used compact digital and then APS-C sized DSLR for some years, it wasn't until a couple of years ago I put some film in my 35mm camera and a 50mm on that I rediscovered this "style" and realized I really liked it.
Great subject isolation, and no funny telephoto "look" to the image.
Yes, this is what I'm after.
Of course having also come to work with Auto Focus in 35mm world (and know how fast it is compared to a compact digital) having a good AF system is part of my requirements too, as this can be a make or brake for a photograph. Get the focus wrong with a narrow DoF and the shot is transformed from great to delete it.
When I first got my G1 I was after a normal to do this, I tried the only options available to me, such as a legacy lens and an adaptor. I tried an FD 28mm and found that 2.8 wasn't enough.
Enter the Panasonic 20mmSo, back to my decision on the Panasonic 20mm, of course nothing you read (normally) helps you with making the decision like a hands on with the lens. I live in the boonies, so its not easy to get my hands on one, but I recently took a trip into the nearest store with one of these I could demo.
Since I have been making comparisons between my FD 28 f2.8 on my G1 and my 50mm f1.8 on my EOS I naturally took along an FD 28mm f2.8 for comparison with the 20mm.
Personally I've felt that the 20mm is a wee bit wide for a normal, and feel that the 28mm is a wee bit tele ( ... them being 40mm and 56 respectively) I'm told that the 40mm is the "perfect" normal so perhaps I'm just used to that wee bit more tele then. I have a Helicon 55mm f2 which I love (but I digress).
So, in at the shop I put my 28mm on my G1 and took a shot, without moving I then put the 20mm on and took another shot.
I used f1.7 on the 20mm and f2.8 on the 28mm
You can see quickly from this overview firstly how different their angle of view was. The colour balance comes from an issue I had with exposure with my legacy FD lens which I will go into later ...
Clearly there is some difference to take into account here. So to compare eggs with eggs I thought I'd "zoom with my feet" and walk that wee bit closer to the subject for the 20mm ... it was only another step after all. This is what I got:
Ok, so now we've got something to compare. Sure, the perspective changes by making a step forwards, but it does not stand out to me that there is significant difference between these two lenses in depth of field ... in fact that's not a real surprise to me as my calculations on DoF suggested that the 28mm @ f2.8 has a diameter of about 10mm and the 20mm @ f1.7 has a diameter of 11.7mm (remember DoF is based on aperture diameter not f number, please read my tutorial on this).
Add to this the (slight) change in perspective (subject / background distances) its really a close call. Examining them in detail its obvious there really isn't much in it ...
Since I know from testing that the 28mm @ f2.8 (on 4/3) does not have the pop of the 50mm @ f1.8 (on full frame) then after seeing this, I feel sure now that the 20mm offers me no optical advantages in my picture taking.
Getting back to the angle of view difference, I put the camera on the bench and took a picture of the cabinet on the wall with the 28 and the 20mm. I've scaled the image from the 28mm down to fit into the frame of the 20mm to show how much more the 20 captures.
more than the 8mm would suggest (to me, and perhaps to those used to working in 35mm land) and not inconsiderable if you ask me.
So what are the benefits?
Well clearly its compact, and makes the G1 a very compact thing to poke in a backpack side pocket.
Using it simplifies operations, and I can comfortably hand the camera off to anyone with it set on Auto everything and be sure that the photo's come back as I'd expect.
I get very nice integrated manual focus operation which activates the focus assist zoom feature and all of the focus tracking nice features of the G1 will work with this lens well too.
One thing I can say I learned to love when I transited from Manual Focus to Auto Focus was that fast accurate AF is essential when trying to get sharp images of people in natural unposed situations. With MF I had to prepare and be ready for things, AF (and reliable metering) opened up a whole new world of 'grab' shots which all too often were hit and miss using MF lenses.
But the same can be said of the Kit Zoom ...
So at €399 the slim and light weight 20mm raises the question for me of "what's it good for" and further raises the question of what am I trying to accomplish with my micro 4/3 system.
Well my main criteria has been a high quality compact and light weight camera system. What I'm wanting to add to it here is shallow depth of field in a 'normal' lens , and quite clearly this lens does not provide enough to meet my desires.
If I am photographing across a dinner table then the kit zoom at something like 14mm will provide good background separation too.
So (already having EF 50 and EF24mm and an OM 21mm from my film days), I could instead put this money (the €399) towards a used Canon 5D camera and get exactly the look I am seeking (that of a 50mm f1.8) by using a 50mm f1.8 (I already have two). If I also then sold my 9-18mm and added that to the 399 above that would probably even fully pay for a used 5D.
I already know that I prefer the Bokeh of my Olympus 21mm on full frame to the ZD Olympus 9-18, so perhaps I would be better off in wide angles than I am with micro 4/3 too.
But its then not just about one lens, its about a system. Do I want a 5D for just two or three lenses?
Thinking about other lenses, I find that the micro 4/3 system lacks quite a lot in that department. There are no native telephoto lenses which have IS or fast AF. While I have had some really good images from my G1 and legacy lenses like the FD 300 f4 (the bird image to the left) I'm not sure that this is something I really want to live with.
Again I find myself drawn back to the Canon EOS system, but its not without costs.
While I could source an EF 300f4 with IS in as new condition with a case even for US$1000, I only paid US$200 for the FD300f4 used above.
Sure theres no IS and no AF but I have managed to get quite a few good images from this G1 based system...
I need to balance this against the truth that for shots of people or things further than 5 meters away the differentiation between background and subject will diminish with a any lens, so perhaps my criteria is for a small set or working conditions. I really need to work out this aspect carefully before making the decision to go with Godzilla after coming to like Bambi so much. Stuff like the swivel screen and ease of review of shots in bright light using the EVF will be absent on a 5D ... it feels like stepping back in time.
I just know I'll want to grab the G1 over the 5D when off for the weekend ...
I don't know, perhaps I should regard the micro 4/3'rds as being what I expected it to be from the start, a good light weight camera for taking great pictures when I'm on the move and not as a replacement work horse for everything ... its just that the micro 4/3'rds cameras are so bloody good at stuff that one feels that they could be good at everything.
Perhaps I should just use my 4x5 film camera for static shots where I need better depth of field and have more control over it in the first place
forget about the 5D and just revel in the G1 ... after all, you can't have everything?
can you?


text:
Fox has moved a step forward on one superhero franchise and a step back on another. First up, Deadline confirms that Josh Trank (Chronicle) will direct the reboot of Fantastic Four. The studio is trying to get all of its superhero franchises back up and running, but right now X-Men is the only one with any gas. The Wolverine is due to start filming next month, and the sequel to X-Men: First Class will shoot in January once Jennifer Lawrence has wrapped on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Progress on Fantastic Four could mean that the studio has at least one new superhero movie every year.
However, the studio may not have much time left for Daredevil. Hit the jump for more.
According to Deadline, David Slade (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) is no longer attached to direct the Daredevil reboot. Even though Fox reportedly has a script they like, Slade has hit a scheduling conflict because he's set to direct the pilot episode of NBC's Hannibal. Slade's exit on the project puts Fox in a tricky position because they need to get a Daredevil movie into production by this fall or else the rights revert to Marvel/Disney. However, Deadline says the studio "isn't hell bent on making Daredevil at this point."
I'd be surprised if the studio chose to let the project go, since Marvel will absolutely not let one of their most popular superheroes lie fallow, especially when there's the opportunity to fold him into the Marvel Movie Universe. If Daredevil goes back to Marvel, and they make a smash hit, then Fox looks foolish for letting the character go. But it's worth noting that this isn't a Sony/Spider-Man situation. Spider-Man sells itself so Sony made sure they got The Amazing Spider-Man underway so the wall-crawler didn't head over to Marvel/Disney. Daredevil doesn't have Spidey's widespread popularity, so Fox may just be throwing money away if they try to make a Daredevil reboot just so Marvel/Disney can't.
To play in the speculation game, I'm betting that if Fox decides to go forward on their Daredevil reboot, we should expect to see a journeyman director or a rising star attached to the project (someone with a bonafide hit but not enough clout to rock the boat). There's no time for an auteur to come in and start tinkering with the script and slowing down the process. Personally, I'd rather the character go over to Marvel/Disney and be done right rather than Fox make the movie simply so it can be done.


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One Corgi. One kitten. Best friends cuddling, napping. All is right with the world. And for one minute and twenty-seven seconds, every corner of the universe is ephemerally lit. Voldemort is defeated. Kim Kardashian, if you're watching: this is a great argument against that Israel-Palestine thing you're so worried about.
[via Buzzfeed]


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Former Carolina Panthers running back Mike Goodson just Tweeted that he has been traded to the Raiders. One report said the Raiders traded offensive lineman Bruce Campbell in exchange for Goodson.
The Panthers just confirmed the deal. A Raiders official said via text that the deal is official.
"We wanted to acquire another player to compete at the running back position," Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said in a press release. "He can do a lot of things in our scheme on offense. He's very versatile, he has natural running skills, he's a great receiver out of the backfield, and he has kick-return ability. I'm anxious to see if he can put all that together here as a Raider."
Goodson, 6-feet and 212 pounds, entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick of the Panthers out of Texas A&M. He rushed for 501 yards on 125 carries the past three seasons as a seldom-used backup. He also caught 43 passes for 329 yards and averaged 21.7 yards on kick returns.
He is in the final season of his original contract, which calls for him to earn $615,000 this season. If the deal occurred, as Goodson said, Goodson is expected to compete with Taiwan Jones, Lonyae Miller and Rashawn Jackson for the backup spot to starter Darren McFadden.
That spot came open when Michael Bush bolted in free agency for a contract with the Chicago Bears.
Goodson started only three of the 28 games he played in the past three seasons. He played in only four games last season and finished the year on injured-reserve.
Campbell was a fourth-round pick of the Raiders in the 2010 NFL draft. They had high hopes for him as a potential fixture on their offensive line.
However, Campbell failed to materialize into a dependable player and played only sparingly both seasons. He appeared in 14 of 32 games the past two seasons, with no starts.
In other news, Adam Caplan reported that East Carolina offensive tackle Stephen Baker is scheduled for a pre-draft visit with the Raiders in April.
Raiders trade Campbell for veteran running back
Former Carolina Panthers running back Mike Goodson just Tweeted that he has been traded to the Raiders. One report said the Raiders traded offensive lineman Bruce Campbell in exchange for Goodson.


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Food & Drink
iPad use picking up in airline cockpits
By Vivian Kuo, CNN • Published 14th September 2012
iPads will soon be ubiquitous in American Airlines cockpits, but don't expect pilots to be playing "Angry Birds" instead of paying attention to the flight path.
AA is striving to go all-digital by the end of 2012, replacing pilots' bulky 35-pound bags full of navigational charts, log books and other flight reference materials with the 1.5-pound Apple tablets.
It's a move that the airline says will save at least $1.2 million a year, based on current fuel prices.
"That's even on the low end," said Capt. David Clark, an active AA pilot and spokesman for the company. "Really, we know what each aircraft burns in terms of weight per hour, so for every pound, you can measure the fuel burn."
iPads aren't new on the scene. The Federal Aviation Administration approved the use of the tablets in 2011, but American is the first commercial carrier to receive the agency's approval to use them in the cockpit during all phases of flight from gate to gate, including during landing and takeoff.
Many airlines are using flight apps, which don't require Wi-Fi once installed on the tablets.
Clark says the initiative is designed to not only save American money but, since each flight bag is made up of thousands of pages that must be updated constantly, to be a valuable time-saver as well.
"It takes me anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, an hour and a half, for revisions to take out the old page and put new pages in. That's at least three to four times a month," he said.
User error in misplacing a page here or there will be eliminated, improving the navigational charts' accuracy. "We've got all of our charts into a digital format," Clark said. "Every two weeks, we get revisions. It pushes updates, we touch the icon, and it updates."
Eliminating the need for the reams of paper each kitbag requires is another consideration, as well as preventing personal injuries.
"Each kitbag can weigh 35 to 45 pounds," Clark said. "It's a quality of life thing. We have a lot of pilots in these very small cockpits that are trying to gingerly place kitbags in very small (areas). We've seen pulled muscles and injuries on duty."
United Airlines has been paperless since last year, distributing 11,000 iPads to all United and Continental pilots for use in the cockpit. It's unclear if or how soon United will match American in getting the FAA's approval for iPad use during all phases of flight.
Delta says that although it has been experimenting with moving to an electronic flight bag program, no formal decision has been made to go to tablets just yet.
While the iPad is the only tablet currently approved by the FAA to replace current flight kits, other tablets could be authorized as well.
"It's a game-changer," Clark said. "I'm in my 23rd year (with American Airlines). If you just fly one trip with me, you could see the amazing difference all that weight, and all the monotony of doing all those revisions, can make."
He understands that consumers may have concerns about playing games or being distracted by other entertaining iPad apps.
"We are professionals, we have rules that we follow, and our licenses and crew depend on our being professional and following the rules. And our pilots are good at that. We self-police, so we will be keeping an eye out."
A year of the world's
Best Beaches
There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. Join us on a 12-month journey to see them all
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Computer, Technology, Databases, Google, Internet, Mobile, Linux, Microsoft, Open Source, Security, Social Media, Web Development, Business, Finance
Saturday, September 08, 2012
Standby Power Summary Table
A summary table on power usage for electronics devices, including computers, TVs and radios.
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Installed FortiClient recently but the challenge in disabling the application/service from running automatically on every start-up annoyed m...
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To coincide with the current movie screening of Disney's Dumbo, I present you the main song for Dumbo. Enjoy! Lyrics Baby mine, do...
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Events for October 17, 2019 › Meditation
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7:30 pm
Soul Bowl: Sound Therapy for Health & Transformation
This is an enormously popular 5 week course. Bookings must be made in advance and a single "taster" session is only €15 - please contact Harry on 0872898073 or email firstname.lastname@example.com
"Sound can redress imbalances on every level of physiological functioning and can play a positive role in the treatment of virtually any medical disorder."- Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, author of "The Healing Power of Sound: Recovery from life-threatening illness using sound, voice and music.


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Maryland's February loss will be Temple 2013 gain, head coach Matt Rhule has confirmed.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, offensive lineman Pete White has indeed decided to transfer to the Owls. As White has already graduated from Maryland, he will be eligible to play for Temple immediately in 2013.
This season will mark the lineman's final season of collegiate eligibility.
"He's a big, strong, athletic kid," the coach said. "We always believe the battles are won in the trenches."
White, who left the Terps for what was described as personal reasons, started six of the 12 games in which he played in 2011. Injuries slowed him for most of the 2012 season, and all told for his career he played in 20 games with seven starts.
A four-star member of the Terps' 2009 recruiting class, White was rated as the No. 13 guard in the country and the No. 1 player in the District of Columbia by Rivals.com.
(Photo credit: Maryland athletics)


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I love beaches, but I get bored quickly and soon look for something a bit more exciting to do. Experiencing a kilometre-long zipline at speeds of 100 km/h through a Mexican jungle qualifies.
The zipline in question is near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and at 1,200 metres in length is the longest in Mexico. (For the record, the longest in the world is in Peru and is more than 2 kilometres long.) I was invited by the Puerto Vallarta Convention and Visitors Bureau to try it.
It's operated by Vallarta Adventures, a big tour operator in the Pacific coast town that offers a wide variety of activities for tourists . They work with the cruise ships that come to town so they've got a steady stream of business. But you don't have to be a cruise-ship passenger to take advantage of their services. They can easily accommodate independent travellers.
From the beach, you can see the mountains rise up behind Puerto Vallarta. It's there that the ziplines sit, high in the jungle, several kilometres away from the city.
To get there, Vallarta Adventures ships out their customers in a vintage, military truck where passengers sit face to face on benches in the back. The drive out takes about an hour and gives you a chance to appreciate the rural scenery as you wind your way up into the hills.
The drive into the camp is reminiscent of scenes from the Jurassic Park movies with tourists being driven in open trucks on rough, dirt roads through the jungle. There were no dinosaurs here, but the big zipline was certainly dinosaur-sized in our imaginations as we approached.
Nicknamed Big Papa, the longest zipline is the day's climax, but the activities that precede it are equally exciting with each providing greater adrenaline rushes than the one before.
The guides are enthusiastic and energetic and do their best to amp up the visitors to have a good time. It works.
While having fun is important to the guides, it's clear that safety is an even higher priority for them. They start your visit with a safety briefing and some quick training on how to ride a zipline. Unlike some other zipline operators near Puerto Vallarta, this operation uses double cables on all of its ziplines which increases the safety factor. If one ever breaks, you're attached to a second line.
After a quick hike up a nearby hill, you come to the first zipline of the day. It seems like a challenge, but it's only a training line and helps you learn the ropes, literally, and helps you get over any fears you may be harbouring.
In no time, you traverse the jungle across a series of other ziplines with each one getting longer and longer. Getting to some of them requires hikes up other hills. As you make your way through the forest, you can hear the din of cicadas buzzing in the heat and watch butterflies the size of a plate fluttering through the trees.
It's all very photogenic, but you aren't allowed to take any cameras with you for fear of dropping or breaking them. Don't worry; a photographer comes along with you to document your adventure and his photos are probably better than any you can take. All of the photos on this page were by them.
All of that hiking and climbing in the humidity is hard work so there are numerous water stations en route to help you stay hydrated.
Eventually, the zipline route comes to an end and you realize that you are 20 metres in the air on a platform in a tree and are walking around as if you're on a sidewalk back home. To get off the platform, you have to rappel down a rope in mid-air, Mission Impossible style. For some of us, that was more frightening than the ziplines, but we all did it and survived.
The next challenge was the "crazy ladder." It's a 22-metre tall rope ladder that twists and turns as you climb up to the platform above. It's a lot of work and is pretty scary so they make it an optional activity. Of the eight of us in our group, only three took the challenge. It is frightening the higher you go, but the hardest part is simply the exertion required to get to the top. Once you make it to the platform, you are rewarded with another challenge, a five metre walk across a tightrope to the top of the hill where the rest of the party is waiting.
Our arboreal pursuits were done for the day and we turned our attention to another activity that was part of our "extreme adventure" package: driving supercharged Polaris RZR off-road vehicles through a muddy jungle route. You have the option of driving one yourself or being a passenger. I was the only visitor who opted to drive one himself.
Making a racket in the forest with exhaust-spewing go-karts probably doesn't qualify as eco-tourism, but it certainly is fun. I think the track would make a good Mario Kart level.
It was over all too fast, but I'm certainly glad that I did the driving. The passengers said they had fun, but I think I had more fun than them.
Then it was time to face up to our real fears: Big Papa. Throughout the morning, we'd hear a whooshing sound overhead and stop to look up and see someone flashing by like a missile and wonder what was going through their mind as they flew by.
Two of our group gave in to their fears and chose not to try the ride. No one gave them any grief over it. I think everyone had second thoughts, but this was why we were here.
The hike to the top of the hill was the biggest one yet, but when we got there we could see the valley below. In the distance there appeared to be a pagoda on hill. It seemed so far away that it was hard to tell what is was. Eventually, it dawned on us that it was the other end of the zipline.
Unlike the other ziplines, you don't control anything on this one. You are strapped into a harness so that you are hanging parallel to the line so you can fly through the air head first, Superman style. The only difference is that unlike flying superheroes, you don't put your hands in front of you. You hold them to the side of your body. An automatic braking system brings you to a halt at the other side.
After some brief instructions, we were strapped in one at a time and pushed off the edge of the hill.
I was second to launch and let the professionals lash me in. A calm had overtaken me and I had lost any fears that I had. After a few seconds, all I could do was smile. I was rocketing along the line at a breakneck speed, but it felt more like I was flying. The treetops flashed beneath me and I could look around to see what the birds see as they fly by. It was amazing.
As we waited for our companions to take their turns, we'd see each of them landing with the same goofy smiles on their faces. We unanimously agreed that it was an awesome experience and we all wished we could rush back and do it all over again.
"I think we all confronted some fears today," noted one of my companions. Everyone agreed.
To give you an idea of what the big zipline looks like, here's a video of my ride:


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Belanger Avenue in Ottawa, Ontario
Below this text you can see the position of the Belanger Avenue on the Ottawa street map (ON, Canada). (Map powered by Google). GPS coordinates for the Belanger Avenue are: 45.38358,-75.67425. Anything interesing in Belanger Avenue? Add it as comment on bottom of this page.
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Below is just random list of streets in Ottawa. For full list go to Ottawa street map start page.Athans Avenue Goodwin Avenue Petite Lane Tower Hill Crescent Briar Avenue McCordick Road Aldercrest Drive Landry Street Lulworth Court Pickwick Drive Kennedy Road Rosehill Avenue Claude Street Des Peres Blancs Avenue Caroltodd Drive Crystal Park Crescent


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2000 Ford Crown Victoria BRONZE MIST
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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Submitted by the Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce
The Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce will recognize 10 area individuals and businesses at its annual Chamber Awards Gala, Friday, May 17, at the Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston.
In addition to the tributes, the annual event will feature an evening of live music, a silent auction, table wines donated by local wineries and businesses, hors d'oeuvres and a sit-down dinner.
Youngstown Citizen of the Year
Claudia Andres was chosen by Mayor Raleigh Reynolds as recipient of the 2013 Youngstown Citizen of the Year award. Andres has been instrumental in helping provide quality programming for Youngstown, from musical programs to the annual Christmas in the Village event.
Andres received her B.M. in music education from the Crane School of Music, and her M.M. in piano from Arizona State University. She is a choral instructor at Wilson High School where she has taught for the past eight years, having been associated with the Niagara Falls School District prior to Wilson.
Andres organized the "Sing for the Cure" program with Linda Werder from Niagara Falls High School, raising more than $3,000 for breast cancer research. The event will be held again this October. Also scheduled in October is the formation of the Three Nations Choir, which Andres is currently organizing with choirs from the U.S., Canada, and the Tuscarora Nation. Additional music activities include the Ladies First Big Band and the Jerry Andres Band, which has performed at many local events, as well as the Youngstown Concert Series.
Andres also serves as music director at the First Presbyterian Church in Youngstown.
As music has been a big part of her life, both as an educator and performer, it was a natural progression for her to bring more music into the Youngstown community through her work at the church. Programs such as the "Second Saturday" concert series have showcased both local and regional talent and are free to the public. Along with choral and instrumental groups at the church, there has also been a growth in plays, musicals and other special productions that Andres has directed. Having the musicals and plays at the church has brought many people from different church congregations from the area to work together.
Serving on the Youngstown Recreation Commission, Andres worked to develop the community room at the Village Center. Andres was also responsible for some of the major changes in the Youngstown Christmas in the Village event over the past few years, growing it into a community event for all ages. Working with the Youngstown businesses and village officials, the holiday showcase has grown into an event featuring musicians, crafts for children, vendors, carriage rides, businesses hosting open house events, and much more. Andres has helped to bring together many of Youngstown's civic organizations and residents to host an event that the community really looks forward to each year.
Andres has noticed an increase in community participation in events and programs to benefit Youngstown. From the annual "Here Comes Summer" street dance, to the Youngstown Community Picnic as well as activities at Old Fort Niagara, she has noticed more people working with each other to enjoy what Youngstown has to offer.
In her spare time, Andres enjoys sewing, sailing, gardening, cooking, traveling and rehabilitating old homes with her husband, Dr. Jerome Andres. They are currently working on restoring an old house on Oneida Street, built in 1826 in the Village of Lewiston. Together, Claudia and Jerome have six children, Ian (Jennifer) Zerby, Adam (Bethany) Zerby, Nick Zerby, Halley Andres (Jay), Peter Andres and Sarah Andres, along with two grandchildren, Evan and Zachary.
"Claudia Andres has been nominated because she is a very dedicated, community-minded individual. Whenever there is any community-related activity, you can always count on Claudia to be there, ready and willing to help," Mayor Reynolds said.
The Village of Youngstown and the Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce are grateful for Claudia Andres' dedication to the community and are proud to honor her as the 2013 Village of Youngstown Citizen of the Year.


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+Excellent construction in terms of durability and realism
+Steel receiver
+Improved blowback system with room for battery as well
+Great internals as well in a 7mm bearing gearbox
-Sorry. Couldn't think of any.
A great gun inside out from VFC without anything that we could really point out as a flaw, and lots of positive sides that appeal to a wide group whether you are a gamer or collector.
It is most often a sign of success, when a very small amount of modifications are made to an existing design when time passes. The Avtomat Kalashnikova 47 is a prime example of this, having recently reached the age of 60 years. Even with the most modern variants you can still recognize the origin with ease, and most parts are strikingly similar - if not directly interchangeable. While the most obvious cosmetic difference has been the change from wood furniture to polymer and an increased selection of calibers (5.45, 5.56 in addition to the original 7.62), on the inside the modernized AK has gone through a minute design change, which lowered the weight of moving parts to reduce recoil.
One example of the modern 100-series is the AK-105, which is designed to replace the AKS-74U, sharing the same 5.45mm caliber. It would appear that the latter model has been found to be a tad short, which affects the effectiveness of the weapon too much to operator's liking. As a result a decision was made to increase the barrel length a bit, and the gas piston in these weapons is a full length one to increase compatibility with the full length AK-74M. The weapon is still very compact and easy to manipulate inside vehicles thanks to the short barrel and folding stock.
VegaForce Company speak highly of their AK series, saying that their AKs are the Perfect Version built especially for players who love the AK series. Based on specifications the claim is entirely plausible: Stamped steel receiver, CNC-machined one piece outer barrel, and a 7mm gearbox with steel gears and a reinforced polymer piston inside. VFC mentions a round-count of over 10 000 shots, but in practice we've seen these high quality AEGs run easily for three to five times that amount before parts have become worn enough that a replacement is due.
The VFC AK-105 is packed in a typical AEG box with colorful prints and styrofoam insides to hold the weapon in place. When lifting it out of the box, you can't help being impressed: Even though we have had the pleasure of seeing lots of quality Airsoft models over the years, handling a particularly well made one never gets old. A real AK-105 was out of our reach for comparison, but based on experience with the AK-103, the look and feel of the VFC AK-105 can be said to be extremely close to its real counterpart.
VFC have special expertice working with metals, which includes not only forming the parts, but also the finish. The VFC AK series have a stamped steel receiver - just like the real thing - with an electric coating called CED, which stands for Cathode ElectroDeposition. It is an advanced special coating against corrosion, and widely used in the automobile industry. Not only is the finish expected to be durable, but it also looks great. As for the markings, it is best that you just see the pics!
If the receiver main piece sets the standard high, the rest of the AEG keeps up easily. The one-piece CNC-machined outer barrel is pinned to the receiver, and the joint is solid - the outer barrel never needs to be removed for disassembly. At the tip of the outer barrel a steel muzzle device is found. On the real thing it captures part of the muzzle blast to ensure enough gas for the gas piston, despite the short barrel. Disengaging a retainer pin allows you to screw the muzzle device off, revealing a rather large thread, which can be mounted with the optional AK-specific suppressor manufactured by VFC. If you want to use a flash hider or suppressor of your own choice, you can undo one set screw and unscrew the large threaded part to reveal a 14mm CCW (left-hand) thread underneath.
The polymer parts are solid and can not be distinquished from the real ones. While airsoft players still complain about seam lines more often than necessary, they are most often found on real weapons as well. Finishing the seam lines out of sight would make the AEG look "too clean", as is the case with the Tokyo Marui AK-series. Real guns are rough, and so should their Airsoft counterparts be! The included magazine is also polymer as it should be, and holds 120 rounds. As expected from VFC, we did not find any feeding issues with these during our testing.
All in all the exterior can not be faulted for anything really. Once again the grip is fat for an AK, but it's something we accept since we rather have the motor provide semi and full automatic fire, instead of having a springer with a real-size grip.
ZEROING and DISASSEMBLY
For more info on zeroing, please read our article on that subject. VFC have made the front sight realistic, so you can perform zeroing for elevation and windage by adjusting the front sight. The rear sight is used for setting the range - an often overlooked feature by players.
Getting into the insides of an AEG AK has never been this easy. As we have seen from VFC before, even when they make a traditional-looking weapon which others have already produced as an Airsoft model, you will always find several innovations applied to them. After the usual removal of the top cover, grip and selector, you can push the hop-up assembly forwards and lift the gearbox up from the receiver! With quite a few other models you need to loosen a few screws and disassemble the front of the gun as well.
VFC has replicated the field-stripping so that you can remove the gas piston tube by flipping the lever on the right side of the rear sight. After this you can access a lever to loosen the front collar of the lower handguard, and remove that too. Exactly like on the real thing! (How many times you can say that during one review, honestly...)
Inside The VFC AK-105 you will first find a blowback system, which seems to be the hot trend with almost all AEG manufacturers now. VFC has a mechanical link between the piston and mock bolt carrier, but the transfer rod has a couple of bends to provide some flexibility to the connection and improve service life. Limited by the piston movement, the travel of the bolt carrier is around 60mm, which is not quite the travel of the real AK bolt carrier, but far better than nothing. The felt recoil is limited, but the sound of steel parts chucking away against each other and the visible moving handle are a pleasing detail when you shoot. With very powerful batteries the system becomes vulnerable, but for such hardcore gamers disabling the bolt is a common thing anyways, since function goes over form. The link can be disengaged without disassembling the gearbox.
Speaking of the gearbox, it is once again a fine example of a traditional idea with precise execution. Based on the Tokyo Marui V3 gearbox design, the VFC gearbox is compatible with the majority of reinforcing and performance-enhancing parts, and even the standard parts are good enough for most users even with a slight spring upgrade added. The strong steel gears rotate smoothly thanks to the 7mm bearings, and the final mechanical part, the piston, is reinforced polymer for light weight and durability. The pneumatic parts provide good compression, and up to 400 fps the only upgrade part you really need is just a spring. Even above that figure the parts durability is not so much a concern, as the fact that at some point it is advisable to change the gear ratio to increase torque.
The inner barrel of the VFC AK-105 has a peculiar length of 388mm. Should you wish to change it to an aftermarket precision inner barrel, a PDI 375mm inner barrel comes closest, but 407mm inner barrels are also an option. The original inner barrel stops at the muzzle threads, but the muzzle device would cover a slightly longer inner barrel as well, so it is not an issue.
If you really read the review, it should not be unclear how excited we are about this model. The construction is rock solid with the stamped steel receiver and the one-piece CNC-machined outer barrel pinned to it. Even the price range is quite decent for what you get, as luxury doesn't carry a four-figure price tag in this case.


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Build Out
From Freeside Atlanta
Please list any wants, needs, donations or suggestions.
- Entry Notification System, part of Vuvuzela
- Plays audio on entry
- LED Notification? Investigate systems for triggering events based on entry/exit
- Extend the system to the warehouse
- Need a Doorbell/Buzzer so people without cards can get in
- Video Surveillance
- ZoneMinder?
- Aimetis? Longwatch?
- Welcome
- Get functioning display, information kiosk and website
- Server Room
- Rack servers mounted and made live
- Server room door, with Vuvuzela node access control
- roscoe (administration terminal) Linux install and secured
- Network plan implementation
- Classroom
- Mount projector
- Add electrical outlets
- Front Bathroom
- Bathroom Drywall and paint
- Fix Bathroom Door
- Lighting in washroom
- Auditorium
- Adjustable lighting
- Partition outlet, wiring fixed
- A/V station
- Kitchen
- Entry Area
- Motion sensor for interior light
- Workstations
- Finish painting walls
- Drywall
- Activate or remove non functional outlets
- Mark with paint a "keep clear" path to the back
- Main Warehouse
- Work sink?
- Tool Room
- Tool room door, with Vuvuzela node access control
- Loft
- Full Length Table
- Ham Shack / Greenscreen
- Add outlets
- Install shelving?
- Put up greenscreen
- Insulate against outside noise for broadcasting
- First Aid Kit (LARGE for "real" emergencies; plus additional band-aids/what-not)
- Sound system
Keep your eyes peeled on Craigslist, friends, office dumpster, yard sales, free stuff, etc. If it looks like crap it can be made to look good.
- Pegboard for hanging tools
- Playatech or Playatech inspired seating for auditorium
- Sputnik Disco Ball
- Murals
- Video Wall with random crap on it / TV in main space. Projector style!
- Constructivist art


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How to wash and care for your tablecloths.- Wrinkle & stain resistant *not wrinkle or stain proof*.- Colors will not fade, even after multiple washes.- Do not wash together with other fabrics.- The temperature of ironing should be no higher than 290F (degrees Fahrenheit).- We do not recommend drying these tablecloths in Laundromat dryers, they are simply too hot.- Drying Temperatures in excess of 180F can shock the cloth and create permanent wrinkles.


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Janell Stifter posted about The Libertarian Party of Kansas (LPKS) on Facebook 2016-05-24 21:39:10 -0500About
We, the Members of the Libertarian Party of Kansas, believe in the people of Kansas. We hold that all adults are capable of deciding what is best for themselves, their families, and their communities.
The Libertarian Party of Kansas is resolutely pro-individual and pro-community, holding that all decisions are best when made at the most local possible level. Our principles naturally lead to advancement of maximized individual liberties and local control, while limiting government expansion.
The Libertarian Party of Kansas (LPKS) was founded in 1971 and has had full ballot access in Kansas since 1992.
Since 2009 we have been the fastest growing political party in Kansas.
If you would like to learn more about the Libertarian Party of Kansas, visit our Learn More page.


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Kurt Nimmo
January 19, 2012
Following a wildly successful protest against SOPA and PIPA internet censorship legislation on Wednesday, the Department of Justice "conducted a major action" on Thursday and shuttered MegaUpload, a popular file-sharing site accused of trading in copyrighted movies and television shows.
Following action by a grand jury, the feds arrested four people and executed more than 20 search warrants in the United States and eight foreign countries. They seized 18 domain names and around $10 million in assets, including a number of servers.
The grand jury indictment accuses Megaupload of causing $500 million in damages to copyright owners and of making $175 million through selling ads and premium subscriptions, according to the New York Times.
The conspicuously timed raid "on Megaupload Thursday proved that the feds don't need SOPA or its sister legislation, PIPA, in order to pose a blow to the Web," writes the AnonOps Communications blog.
As if to underscore the government's determination to close down domains with or without legislation, the DOJ and the FBI released a statement Thursday characterizing the charges as "among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States and directly targets the misuse of a public content storage and distribution site to commit and facilitate intellectual property crime."
The technology site Gigaom has posted details of the indictment against Megaupload.
Fifteen minutes after Megaupload disappeared from the internet, the hacker group Anonymous launched denial of service attack on websites run by Universal Music, the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Copyright Office, the Motion Picture Association of America, and the Recording Industry Association of America.
"Megaupload was taken down w/out SOPA being law. Now imagine what will happen if it passes. The Internet as we know it will end. FIGHT BACK," Anonymous said in a tweet.
The Twitter account under the name @YourAnonNews identifies itself as the hacker collective and states: "We are Anonymous, We are legion, We never forgive, We never forget, Expect us."
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